The Harrow And The Harvest
If you haven’t heard of the musical duo that is Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, consider this your lucky day. You’re going to love this group.
Gillian was one of the “sirens” in the 2000 Odyssey remake by the Coen brothers, O Brother, Where Art Thou, along with Alison Krauss. The producer on that record is the great TBone Burnett.
David Rawlings and Gillian Welch met at Berklee College of Music, apparently. My alma mater! 😛
They’re part of a folk music revival that has been picking up steam for a long time, but that has been reaching a fevered pitch in the last five years or so.
If you’re just getting into Gillian Welch, I’d suggest starting with the album Revival. My favorite song on it is “One More Dollar.” It’s the story of a boy who leaves the mountains to work in the fruit orchards out West, but when there’s a freeze on the branches he’s compelled to risk his savings by gambling in order to afford passage home. He works for a dime a day, and he only needs one more dollar to go home. So the song is sad, but there’s a hopeful energy that comes from the anticipation of making that last dollar.
Time (The Revelator) is also quite good. There are many “whistlers” and “toe-tappers” on that album.
However, there is one song in particular that has really caught my attention off the new record The Harrow And The Harvest. The song is called “The Way It Will Be.”
The music matches the lyrics well in this song. The tone I come away with from both is that of melancholic resignation, with a little bite of anger underneath.
The opening verse exemplifies perfectly this sentiment.
“I lost you awhile ago
But still I don’t know why
I can’t say your name
Without a crow flying by”
Just that is magical. I know exactly that feeling.
And then…
“Gotta watch my back now
That you turned me around
Got me walking backwards
Into my hometown”
<Reading Rainbow segue melody>
Welp, I really enjoyed this album for its close and tight harmonies, its lugubriousness, and its verisimilitude.
Butcha don’t have to take my word for it!
New Note:
I’m gonna see Gillian Welch and David Rawlings at ACL 2011 this weekend. I’ll definitely be updating this post with further details.
